THE SHIFT
Chapter one
(In this story, Kyoko is 24 and Ren 28. Kyoko already knows Ren is both Kuon and Corn). It's kind of an SF – AU story but not completely.
So, I tortured Ren and made him a cat in my other story. Time to tease Kyoko and torture Kyoko too. Enjoy. I still don't know how many chapters this fic will be but I hope you'll like this. (I do not forget Evolving To Reach Each Other, do not worry.)
Returning from a consultation with a practitioner, Kyoko moved her car on airy paths provided by the usual lack of people at this hour.
She felt a bit heavy and tired but she guessed she had a long day so surprise had no place here.
You were no longer allowed to carry yourself in a car unless it was an urgency, or you were transporting luggage that couldn't fit public transport. Or if alternatives were missing for where you were going. Or if like her, you had a derogation. Only a couple of hours were allowed by people by weeks. Something akin to seven hours a week in the countryside and only two in the cities. As a consequence, most roadways were now often deserted.
It wasn't practical anymore. In the year 2100, automatic electrical trains provided for everyone. In most places and cities. To cities to countryside and reverse. The world had forsaken petrol use for the sake of the earth. But it had been slow and leisurely. If someone had been to ask her opinion, she would have said the real trigger was The Shift.
When people began to change sex or form, they couldn't stomach to poison the new generations with the evolution happening. Children were too important. Still a rarity 50 years ago. And not that abundant, even nowadays.
People had stopped to procreate a long time ago because of the gigantic pollution of the air and water of the planet. Pretty much everything was soiled. From the water, the oceans, the lowest part of the earth to the stratosphere. Air was always grey. Food, well, had it had even food?
People died every day just breathing the outside air.
Newborns were systematically dying as soon as they were out in the world and ultimately even keeping a living foetus in the womb for nine months became impossible. So in the years around 2030, people just stopped procreating. The worth was vacant and hope had deserted everyone.
People stopped using petrol and derivatives to help the issue, even just a little; but it was too slow to implement, humans had gone too far and reversing things all around the world was hard. Changing mentalities when even children were seen dying was no easy bargain. By the time pollution was eventually decreasing, it was mostly too late. A lot of people had become infertile and the ones who didn't were not always in position or situation to have a baby, when there was even a partner available.
Time passed and years went by, as even the youngest people were slowly getting older. Slowly, humanity was reaching the landing of 2050 and human race was dying.
And then,
Something happened. Fast.
An evolution in the human race. A shift.
And a major one at that.
People became able to change gender. And, even later, to take an animal form sometimes. Of today, the main theory remained that humankind had evolved to adapt themselves to the new conditions and the need to procreate after the flamboyant blow of the 2020-30 years. Five billions of people had died at the time, leaving only nearly three billions that were once again reduced during the following years until there were merely two billions of humans left on the earth.
It had been a breath of air for the planet, but a disaster for the different cultures and populations all around the world as some areas had been more severely touched than others. China had lost more than four fifths of their people as well as India. Africa and America around two thirds, Europe a half and most other countries from a third to a half.
It had been devastating for everyone, of course, and for numerous years, nothing could be done about it, but watching.
But as soon as the shift started, as soon as some people got stronger and became able to carry a child again, and even, to live longer; all the governments of the moment, quickly decided of a worldwide plan to save humanity. Money would be given to any couple or person willing to try to conceive. Every person would have to undergo regular check-up tests to determine the potential of evolution each individual carried and their health. And benefices would be granted to any shifted people. This wasn't really a magical thing, humans had evolved. Psychological and physical aid would be received at any time for any shifters.
But such is an evolution. Not everyone is changing, not every person would have the capacity to activate this gene, to change.
When it happened, fifty years ago, only 20 percent of the population started to shift and it was a long, disturbing process. Nowadays, it was still only fifty percent of it. The others, the ones still alive and that did not shift, were less and less numerous. They couldn't change appearance or sex. They were weaker in strength, more prone to various illnesses and remains of the nauseous pollution of before. They hadn't changed so they had a normal life span. They weren't all sterile thanks to the better atmosphere condition compared to a few decades ago, so it could still be common to see dawn a few unchanged children, even though they weren't many. Nonetheless, normal humans were now considered as the weaklings of humankind.
But whether you were a shifter or not wouldn't overrule one important rule. You are to go see a doctor or any competent practitioner at least once a month that will take care of you.
Japan, the country in which Kyoko lived, had also lost half of its population, and as such, didn't escape the rule either. So Kyoko had done as obliged, and went to see her doctor and back. She wasn't a shifter. She was a normal human if being an actress was considered normal, and she was really glad for it. Just the rumours and mere views she had from what shifters' lives looked like, had shown her how complicated life could be for them. She never wanted to go through that.
Her life as an entertainer was more than enough interesting, and she had ample hurdles to think about already in her daily life.
She was 24 and had entered show business for some time now. Fortunately for her, you didn't need to be a shifter to do this job. In fact, the industry of acting that had managed to survive against the odds of evolution, upping its game even, preferred you to not be one. Though no one would ever reject you if you were to become one. Shifters were the treasures of every country and the more the merrier. But in show business, it could make things tricky. A shifter often needed to be accommodated. Especially a new one. And even one with experience could not work as much. It was forbidden, mainly. But that person could also have circumstances from what Kyoko knew that could be testing for every director and person on a set and even for an agency. As such, even if agencies did not refuse shifters, they were less than enthusiast about it. Beside LME, of course. Reason why Kyoko had picked LME. Not that she thought it would happen to her.
But better be safe than sorry.
She didn't think she would shift, however. That sort of thing didn't go about without reason. And reasons, she did not have. It usually needed a trigger.
She was single and no way close to enter a relationship and she did not ever want babies.
Two things that were the usual catalyst.
If she had wanted to explore the other spectre of gender, it could also have been a possible inducer. But though, she envied the male side sometimes, it had never been an idea in her mind.
Then, there was the potential partner trigger.
Oh, it wasn't that there was no one of interest around. And if she was being honest with herself, she did desire a person but it wasn't a matter of what she wanted. And as sure as he couldn't be the trigger, she couldn't shift.
Because Ren would have needed to be interested by her as well, to potentially initiate a … something …-in any ways… And it was based on theory she had the shifting gene inside of her, an improbable eventuality. And something she didn't even want to happen.
The only thing that she wanted, well …-more than acting; was him.
Ren.
She snorted. It was really unlikely she thought as she reminisced their last time together. The brightness of his smile, his carefree attitude.
A fond expression crossed a face and she sighed.
They were close. At ease with each other. It had been the case since he had told her about his double identity and that she had guessed him to be Corn, years ago. And she had wished for more, even longer. She was young at the time, barely entering the industry at the age of 15 and she knew he was coming from a prestigious family of shifters, even if himself wasn't one. She knew he wasn't interested. She had partly lived with him and his family for three years or so when she was nine and him thirteen even if she hadn't known it had been the glamorous Hizuris, at the time. They were kind of family for her.
But she also knew the weight they carried and the commitment they had to bring good blood in the family and especially for the future of shifters. Kuon … Ren, whatever, it was already complex enough for him that he wasn't evolved – despite coming from one of the most famous and ancient families of shifters – that, even if he had been interested, which he wouldn't, a union with a commoner would tarnish him even more. It would be even worse than the judgment he was already receiving from some of the shifters community and some closed ones about his non-evolvement. Even in the hypothetically speaking, she didn't have a choice. She wouldn't do that to him, ever.
But her stubborn heart refused to resign itself to reality. And she had tried, but to no avail.
Kyoko sighed and turned her electric car around, falling, despite her best intentions, in the reminiscences of the most memorable moment they had recently spent together. She would never be able to erase that from her heart, she knew.
The area, vacant of any human sound was still the same, you could hear the constant rushing water splashing on rocks all around, catching the silent light of the moon in the drops ricocheting and air tickling leisurely the tree's leaves like it didn't have enough spirit anymore to blow more than that. Or as if it had been as bewitched as Kyoko was by the place.
She sat and stared at the place for a long while. She wished she lived in a different world where there were no shifters bullshit. She wished to her own self to be indifferent to matters of love. She wished to do not care.
She wished she could be his one.
She exhaled her last sigh of the night and drove back to her home.
Dropping her keys on the counter and removing her shoes, she donned on some pyjamas and threw herself on her bed, wanting to forget but mostly sleep. Sleep until oblivion.
Her dumb head brought back her mind on a particular subject like some broken disc circling in rounds and grumbling against herself, she took some sleeping pills, and did not pay it minds more.
When her mind finally came out of the mists of slumber the next day, the morning was already well advanced, if her alarm, not generally conciliatory was right. Her body was unusually heavy and she had more than a little trouble waking up. She felt very groggy, her eyes kept crying as if she had overslept and she plunged her head back into the pillow with a groan.
She remembered with a start the pills she had taken the day before and concluded it was the reason she felt so knocked out.
She un-rooted her carcass out of bed after another couple of long minutes, heaving a grunt when she stood up.
She was so weary this morning.
Maybe going back there wasn't such a good idea…
She hadn't expected it could have had such a strong effect on her. She had just wanted to carve the place in her mind once more. It wasn't even planned, and it certainly wasn't with depressive thoughts she had settled on going there. Well, not much at least.
Dragging herself to the bathroom, she stumbled a bit before reaching the door and pulling back the curtains of the room ever so little, so she could just see the sink without turning on lights. She grabbed a brush and closing her eyes back, blissful at the dark it provides, she took care of her teeth and wash her face with a cold wet towel finally having some brain on after that.
She hung back the towel and looked in the mirror.
The deep piercing scream that followed would be memorable for any neighbour she had.
Smoke, her cat miaowed in answer, clearly asking her if she was still sane and languidly walked to the bathroom before going back to sleep when he had confirmed she still breathed.
Kyoko cough and cough, trying to identify what the hell was happening. She had howled like a banshee thinking a guy had penetrated her home and was waiting just behind her to do unmentionable things but it was far, far worse.
Someone, she could fight against it.
But this?
What the hell was this?!
What did she look like that?
Okay, right. She had sort of a guess of the what this was. The why and the how remained really mysterious, however. She didn't understand how it could have happened. It shouldn't have. What was the trigger? She couldn't think about one. And why? She wasn't even a descendant of a shifter, much less her ancestors.
But reality refused to change and was sent back to her as the mirror showed her new profile.
No way…
She didn't want this. It was going to complicate her life so much. She would have so much more responsibilities and annoying meetings. It wouldn't change the thing she so much desired to be different, though. Her new life would be hectic. She refused this. She had the day off today but she had a shooting tomorrow afternoon.
She needed to reverse this. And fast.
She had no use of the change.
How could she reverse it?
People who had gone through this were always so secretive of how it worked in fear it would show weaknesses to explore and take advantage of, they didn't share the exactitude of the processes. Besides, the fact it was possible to switch back when the experience came, she didn't know a thing about it. She had avoided it like plague, she had spent so many times cursing it.
She concentrated and wish with all her mind to change back and yet the image in the mirror stayed the same.
The masculine taller shape extended her displease in an ugly grimace in the mirror.
I'm a man … I'm a fucking man!
She cursed and cursed in every language she knew. Which barely meant two and half in fact.
By all the demons of the infinity, curse you!
"What the hell did I do to deserve this, fucking universe?!"
You universe!
I don't want to be a man!
Once she finally calmed down, Kyoko accepted with resignation that she would need to go to a clothes store in pyjamas, because anything else would look indecent in this shape and her sleep outfits were usually larger than her other clothes.
It's at that time she realized she had planned to go to an audition today for some modern clothing line.
Should she give up on going, in context to her situation?
Oh hell no! She refused that this predicament would control her life! She planned to go and she will.
No one knew she was auditioning for this but she still felt it would have been very unprofessional of her to drop it. She had made plans. She had counted on it and even blocked it in her agenda, she was not going to renounce.
But-
how could she audition for it like that? Her body wouldn't enter women's outfits now.
And then, a genius idea struck her. It could work. Well … – if everything were to go by plan, she would not win a future contract, because whatever the results of the audition, she wouldn't be able to go back as a man to do the job anyway. But she didn't care. It was a low price to pay. Her professional self didn't allow her to give up on something she had decided to do but it didn't mean it needed to have a follow-through.
Her decision was to try audition, and has she been a woman, she would have done her best to win but for now she would settle on not giving up on participating and giving her best to the audition, even as a man. But she didn't really hope to win it. She didn't need work as a man, she needed to be a woman again. It was more about honouring a commitment taken for herself than for anything else.
It was the only option. That or giving up. And it was out of question.
She would go as a man at the audition. It couldn't be that complicated to act as a man for just a few hours. Put clothes on, put clothes out, take some poses and do it again and again.
She refused to go to her doctor, or for people to know she had now shifted. If she could just go back to normal before anyone would discover it, she would be fine.
She would need Ren, however, because he was the only one that could help her and would believe her and wouldn't denounce her to authorities no matter what. He knew too well the hell it could be to be shifter or to have the pressure of society, authorities. Or simply to be surrounded by shifters with expectations. He wouldn't sell her if she didn't want it.
Ren would help her.
She took her keys, hit the door's framing shouting another spat of swearing. Climbed in her car barefoot or more like hitting her knees trying, pushed back the seat to its maximum and finally sat in before making roar the machine. It matched her mood. But she had the honesty to admit it was easier to reach for the gearbox and such even if it felt a bit cramped.
PS: There is first chapter done. It wasn't something planned honestly but I couldn't get this idea out of my head. My first gender-bender fic. This idea had worked me up for so long but I didn't know how to broach the subject without seeming too on the nose until recently and once done it was running in circles in my head.
I hope all of you will love this as much as I loved to write it. As said in the intro, to each its turn and it's time to torture Kyoko a little.
(I heard about the people wanting another chapter for The Escort in sex days in skip beat, I'm thinking about it and you might win me in this but I don't know when I will have the time to do it.)
Kisses,
Mimagfan.
AUTHOR OUT.